Training on the International Health Regulations (IHR) and an introductory seminar on the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) process were held in Ashgabat from October 20 to 23. The events were organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan. This was reported Turkmenportal.

Participants included representatives of the healthcare system, relevant ministries and government agencies. Organizational support was provided by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan as part of a multi-country Pandemic Fund project aimed at pandemic prevention, preparedness and response using the One Health approach in Central Asia.

The 2005 International Health Regulations establish a legal framework for preventing the international spread of disease and protecting public health. Their implementation requires cross-sectoral cooperation, timely information sharing and the capacity to detect and assess health threats.

Participants reviewed the main provisions of the IHR, including the 2024 amendments, the roles of national IHR focal points and authorities responsible for implementing the regulations, procedures for detecting events and assessing risks, information sharing, and monitoring core capacities, including at points of entry.

Particular attention was given to the Joint External Evaluation, a voluntary, multisectoral mechanism that assesses a country’s capacity to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health threats.

The seminar aimed to deepen participants’ understanding of the JEE process and prepare Turkmenistan for its next evaluation of IHR implementation. Participants discussed the next stages of the process, the allocation of responsibilities, the timeline for self-assessment and its alignment with the National Action Plan for Health Security.

The discussions were intended to align sanitary and epidemiological security measures with the priorities of Turkmenistan’s national healthcare system.